Armored aeroplane.



J. T. PARKER.

ARMORED AEROPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 11, 1916.

1,1 89,6 1 6. Patented July 4, 1916.

QI FIQE;

JOSEPH THOMPSON PARKER, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

ABMORED AEROPLANE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 4, 1916.

AppIication filed February ll, 1916. Serial No. 77,687.

its length for this purpose, and the gun being rigidly mounted with respect to the axial line of the propeller shaft, so that the gun will be aimed by the aviator by simply aiming the aeroplane at the target,

as more fully hereinafter set forth.

In the drawing is represented a view, partly in side elevation and partly in section, of so much of an aeroplane as is necessary to illustrate my invention.

In the drawings, a. designates the propeller shaft, which may be driven in any suitable or usual manner from the motor mounted on the machine. ially bored throughout its length. At the rear end of the propeller shaft is mounted rigidly on the frame of the aeroplane a gun b, which may be any of the usual types of automatic guns. This gun may be so placed as to be operable by the aviator or it may be so located as to be conveniently operated by a gunner carried for the purpose. If a gun of the type automatically operated by gas pressure or by recoil be employed, it may be conveniently operated by the aviator himself, as in this type of gun it is simply necessary to press a trigger to continue the fire. The rear end of the propeller shaft is bored out to a sufficiently large diameter to receive the end 6 of the gun barrel. The end of the gun barrel will nicely fit this enlarged part of the bore of the shaft, so that the gun barrel will have a firm rest on the rear end of the shaft. The main part of the bore through the shaftis the same diameter as the bore of the gun, rrel', so that it forms in effect a continuzit on of the gun barrel. In this way I utilize the propeller shaft as an extension of the gun barrel, and this will enable me to shorten the gun barrel to the extent of the length of the propeller shaft. Of course, the bore in the shaft may be rifled, if desired, but I believe that, by rea- This shaft is aX- 1 son of the fact that the shaft is being rigidly rotat' d during the firing action, very little, if any, rifiing will be required, since the rotation of the shaft will impart a rotative movement to the projectile; This feature of my invention may be applied to ordnance of the smaller types, whether used on an aeroplane or not, and I therefore do not limit myself, so far as this feature is concerned, to the application of the invention to an aeroplane; that is to say, I believe myself to be the first to conceive of the idea of rotating a part of the gun barrel during firing action, to thereby spin the projectile and thus eliminate riding or greatly reduce it as to depth and pitch.

It will be understood, 'of course, that in all cases that part of the gun barrel which is attached to the gun will not rotate, but will in all cases be rigidly supported on or adjacent the end of the propeller shaft. I show the gun barrel entering but a short distance into the propeller shaft, but it will be understood that it may be extended farther thereinto or even entirely through the propeller shaft. Just to the extent, however, that the barrel is extended into the propeller shaft, I of course lose theadvantage of the propeller shaft as a gun barrel. It will be observed that when the gun is thus rigidly mounted behind the propeller shaft with its gun barrel axially in alinement with the axial center of the propeller shaft, the aviator may aim the gun by simply maneuvering the aeroplane, so that the gunner, if an additional operator be carried on the machine, will have nothing to do but operate the gun. I believe that by thus putting the matter of aiming the gun completely in the hands of the aviator, a much more effective attack on an enemy can be made than where the gun is aimed by another person. Where a gun is aimed. .by/ a person other than the aviator, a great many shots must necessarily go wild, in view of the impossibility of effective cotiperation between the gunner and the aviator. With my invention, no cooperation is necessary, as the aviator does all the aiming. If the cartridges orshells be arranged in the magazine of the gun so that at intervals a smokeemitting, target-finding shell of the well known type be dischargechit will.,.be seen that the aviator will be greatly assisted in maneuvering his machine to bring the fire upon the target.

It will be understood that my invention is not restricted to details of construction, and l have therefore made no attempt to illustrate details in my drawing.

he trigger of gun could be so designed as to be operated by hand, foot, knee or any part of the body of the operator.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. The combination with an aeroplane whose propeller shaft is axially hollow, of a gun mounted rigidly 6n theaeroplane and having its barrel coupled to the rear end of the shaft and axially in line with the pas sage through the shaft, the passage through the shaft being large enough in diameter to permit free passage of bullets but not large enough to permit shifting of the gun barrel independently of the shaft in aiming, so that the gun is aimed by maneuvering the aeroplane and not by adjusting the gun i11- dependently of the aeroplane.

2. The combination with an aeroplane whose propeller shaft is axially hollow, of a gun rigidly mounted on the aeroplane and having its barrel axially in line with the passage of the shaft, the forward end of the gun barrel entering the shaft and having a relatively rotatable bearing thereon,

so that the gun is aimed by maneuvering the aeroplane and not by adjusting the gun 1ndependently of the aeroplane, ax1al alme- I ment being insured by the engagement of the forward end of the gun barrel with the propeller shaft.

3. The combination with an aeroplane whose propeller shaft is axially hollow, of a gun rigidly mounted on the aeroplane and having its barrel axially in line with the passage of the shaft, the forward end of the gun barrel entering the shaft part way thereof, the bore in the shaft beyond the end of the barrel being of the same diameter as the bore in the gun barrel, so that the shaft forms in effect an extension of the gun barrel.

4. The tombination with an aeroplane whose propeller shaft is axially hollow, of a gun rigidly mounted on the aeroplane and having its barrel axially in line with the passage through the shaft, the bore in the shaft beyond the end ofthe barrel being of the same diameter as the bore in the gun barrel, so that the shaft forms in effect a rotatable extension of the gun barrel.

' In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

JOSEPH THOMPSON PA RKER.

Gopiu of thil patent may be obtained for five cent: each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

walhington, D. G." 

